I love new beginnings! I had started planning for this new school year even before the last one ended. This coming year I will be teaching my son Joel (4th grade), Leif (almost 4 and loves to be included), and two of my neices (9th and 8th grade). And I will be working with all stages of the education spectrum — preschool through high school — at the same time!
Here’s a quick look at our homeschool curriculum plan for this year:
My 9-year-old Joel has been working on his math facts all summer. He will be starting Saxon 5/4 and working through Life of Fred, as well as continued practice on his math facts. For English, we will be working through First Language Lessons Level 4, Word Roots, and practicing cursive. We are using Apologia Exploring Creation With Astronomy for science, and for Bible, we will continue Apologia’s Elementary Worldview series with “Who Am I?” Joel has also started playing 4th grade football in the local league.
For 4-year-old Leif, I will be focusing on fun learning activities. He already knows all of his colors, shapes, numbers, and most of his letters by sight. We use a lot of Word World and Leap Frog videos and games. He loves to be read to, and he loves to do art and play with sand and play dough. 
My 15-year-old niece Stormie will be tackling Saxon Algebra, along with Life of Fred Algebra, Jensen’s Grammar, Vocabulary and Format Writing, and ACE Biology. She is going to work through Constitutional Literacy by Michael Farris with me. She will also be starting Driver’s Ed at some point this year.
My 14-year-old niece Rachael is working through Saxon 6/5 and Saxon 7/6 this year, strengthening her math foundations. For English, she will be working on Word Roots as well as Apologia’s Jump In curriculum. For science she will be doing Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology and then Body by Design from Master Books. 
Along with our at-home schooling plans, we are also going to join a homeschool co-op that will meet for one day each week. All of my students will take a writing course there, and Stormie will also take a life skills class. I think Leif might join the Five in a Row class. This co-op also provides Homeschool Choir practice and we would really like to join in if all things work out.
What about history? I LOVE history, as evidenced by my first eBook, Making History Personal. I like to work with all of the children together to teach history as a unit study.
This year we are studying 1800s America. My next post will be about the Unit Study I am pulling together for this year’s history studies: Stay tuned!
For more on how the four moms of NextGen Homeschool make our curriculum choices, see our “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler” post on this topic. Click here.
What curriculum plan and programs will you be using this year? Are you still on the hunt for great curriculum in particular areas? How does teaching and learning styles affect your curriculum choices? We’d love to hear what you’re working on for this school year.
Back-to-School Special: Save 50% on my eBook Making History Personal: A Genealogy Study Guide. It’s an excellent teaching tool to help you bring history to life for your children this school year. On sale now through August 31 for just $4.98!